"Talk to me," she said gently.
"When I went to Malin...something wasn't right. Not at first. I didn't think too much of it, you know?"
"No, I don't," she said worriedly.
"It's bad, Blythe," I said shakily. "I need to go to Emmon."
"We do."
I shook my head. "No! I don't go there unless I have to. I don't want you there ever."
"So I will go back to the settlement and stay there and not move and wait for you to get back. Just tell me what has you so scared," she told me.
"I think hundreds of years of evolution and multiple generations of being exposed to the only food source which is meat that will make you mad...means they're no longer under the...fog of madness they once were," I told her.
"And that means what, exactly?"
"...I think the snakes work for them now. And they...they have more anger and pure hatred for everything your people did than The Den ever could. So you can't go with me this time. I'm sorry."
She hugged me. "Take me back to the settlement, Harlow," she said softly. "I'm not going to argue with you on this."
We'd drive in silence most of the trip, stopping in the same farmhouse as we had on the way there, just after two in the morning.
She collapsed into the bed, while I cleared the rest of the house, coming back to her out cold.
"Blythe?" I asked, resting a hand on her cheek.
Silence.
She was icy, subtly shivering under the covers.
"Shit," I cursed, overwhelmed.
I'd let her sleep until she woke, which was just after ten in the morning.
From the porch, I heard her rush into a bathroom and get sick, alarming me as I got to my feet to see if there was anything I could do.
"Blythe?" I asked, stepping into the bathroom where she lay on the cold floor, hoping to reduce a fever. "Shit. Talk to me, Sweetheart."
She whimpered as I gathered her in my arms and got her back to bed, the start of a bad flu in full swing.
"I swear...I felt fine yesterday," she promised, her ear on my chest.
"I was there," I said gently, setting her down. "I know. Get some rest. I'm going to find you some medicine, alright?"
She nodded tiredly and fell back asleep, letting me know I had to act fast.
Sick people don't last long in this world without help.
I stepped onto the porch and noticed an old sign next to the garage, which held part of the words Pharmacy and Natural, giving me a little hope I might find something for her.
"Come on," I muttered, digging through every box and drawer I found.
"Harlow!"
I raced back up to the room, where she was screaming in agony while clawing at her stomach in the fetal position on the bed.
"Get it out of me!" she begged, clutching my shirt.
Appendix.
"I'll be right back," I promised, leaving to get my advanced first aid kit.
When I returned, she was in pain, had a bad fever and shivered violently where she lay.
"Take this," I told her, handing over two of the pills I had given Merrick for his migraine. "I'm going to cut you open, but you have to trust me, okay?" I asked, taking her hand.
"...love you," she murmured, losing consciousness.
I laid her on the floor, ripped open her shirt and poured some vodka over her stomach before taking my incredibly sharpened knife from my boot and cleaning it, as well.
"Stay with me," I said softly, slicing into her perfect stomach.
With the grace of a fully trained Doctor, I was able to remove the organ that burst in my hand right after I got it out of the way of her opened stomach.
I was able to stitch her back up just fifteen minutes later, hoping like hell I did the right thing.
Once I knew she was stable, I got some fresh water and found a wild turkey I killed to create a broth. Wild vegetables and eggs from the animal was also added and I was to make a healthy soup for her when she woke that would hopefully aid in her recovery.
She woke nearly twenty hours later, her fever broken, but pain in her stomach was different. She was now healing from surgery and had to rest a few days before it was safe for her to travel.
I was glad she didn't see me get sick from the blood. Not because of the gore, but because of how much I loathed the sight of it from my upbringing.
"Hey," she smiled tiredly as I sat next to her.
I looked at the healing wound, nodding at my handiwork before breaking apart entirely.
She touched my shoulder, making me curl into her side, sobbing like a child who got scolded by their favorite adult.
"...don't cry," she said softly, wrapping her arm around me as best she could.
"I'm sorry," I repeated.
She shook her head, wincing slightly. "You saved my life. Don't...don't cry," she mumbled, unable to stay awake.
I got in closer and fell asleep, the smell of bleach and alcohol drowning out the aroma of blood I'd washed out of the floor and walls.
She woke just after eight in the morning, stronger and starving.
"Hey," she smiled at me, sitting up a little. "Are you okay?"
"I made you some soup," I said quietly, handing her a bowl.
She ate hungrily, finishing the bowl and an entire bottle of water in less than twenty minutes.
"That was amazing," she told me, leaning back in bed once more. "Why were you upset last night?"
I shook my head.
"Talk to me," she tried. "Am I your partner or not?"
I looked at her. "I...had a lot of...reactions to what I had to do. The smell...the feel...sight...all of it. I used...to do that when I didn't know any better. In order to...to try to remember how to do what I did...I had to dive back into that world and I...got sick. It made me sick. Repeatedly."
"Oh, I'm so sorry," she whispered.
"You can't prepare for an appendectomy, Blythe," I told her. "It's not like you planned it. How's your pain level?" I asked.
"It's starting to hurt again," she admitted.
I gave her a half a pill and let her sleep once more, giving me time to explore the grounds.
Back in the garage, I found some medicine and medical supplies I could send back to the settlement when we left.
At the end of the building was a set of stairs that led to the roof, which piqued my curiosity enough I went upstairs to see what was so important.
Tears stung my eyes.
A long-range radio I could supercharge to reach the Nova Dawn.
Theirs was always open for emergencies. I just had to connect to the right frequency.
And build a tower to increase the range.
With a few minor repairs, I brought the radio to life, getting it to stabilize after a few minutes.
What I wasn't expecting, was the frequency to attract the Corvyd, a raven and crow hybrid that were highly intelligent and very well organized.
Over sixty, forty-eight pound, four-foot tall birds sat around the building, staring up at me as if deciding what to do next.
The largest, the King, who had a darker than normal shade, landed in front of me, sizing me up.
"I'm Harlow," I told him, towering over the bird.
He hopped over and used his sharp beak to poke at me a bit before shrieking as loud as he could, hoping I'd flinch.
I didn't.
He lunged, his beak barely missing my throat, expecting me to jump, but I remained still.
The other birds went nuts, only silenced with a snap of my fingers, impressing the King who cawed with his flock.
I was one of them.
Meaning the radio was safe.
And protected.
I went back to work, finding the frequency before going to find a tower to build from scratch.
They watched me carefully, marveling at my strength and resourcefulness by using items around me in brand new ways.
When she woke again, I had some more soup waiting.
"...arm?" she mumbled, looking at my bandaged upper arm.
"An overzealous king trying to get my attention," I said casually.
"...there are Kings?" she asked tiredly.
I felt her forehead.
"Fever," I said softly, taking the bowl from her gently so I could see the wound.
No infection.
"I still have the flu, Harlow," she mumbled. "Can I have my soup, please?"
I handed it back, but was nervous.
"What are you doing out there?" she asked tiredly, eating a little more.
"I found a radio," I told her. "I can connect to the Nova Dawn as soon as the tower is done."
"That's wonderful!" she smiled, coughing.
"Please, be careful," I begged.
"Then let me rest," she teased.
It was clear I was scared.
"You would've made a rotten Doctor," she chuckled.
"What?"
"Your concern, while appreciated, is evident and etched all across that gorgeous face," she said gently. "Trust yourself better, Harlow. I'll be alright."
I got up and left, taking what she was trying to tell me the wrong way, going back to building the tower.
While she recovered, I brought the tower to life, tuning into the frequency I needed at would've been four-thirty in the Nova Dawn.
"I'm trying to reach anyone in The Nova Dawn," I began, my hands wrapped around the mic as I awaited a reply.
"...who the hell is this?"
Tears stung my eyes. "My name is Harlow. And I am the acting President of what's left of the United States."
"Sure you are."
"I have George Washington's compass," I tried, now connecting via monitor. "See?"
A man in his early forties leaned forward to get a better view as his supervisor walked into the command center.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"She says she's the President of the US and has the very first President's personal compass," the younger man answered.
"What's your name?" the older man asked me.
"Harlow," I told him. "About a month ago, you sent over a ship filled with Engineers, Doctors, Scientists and Guards. Historians. All of them but forty have died. I'm keeping nine of them safe personally, but I urge you to not send anymore people. At least not yet."
"Why not?"
"One moment," I told him, calling the King up to me. "This is a Corvyd. He's four feet tall and weighs almost fifty pounds. His beak is the sharpest in the world and he has a flock of about sixty. He's one of the smallest birds we have. One of the smallest animals we have. Other dangers include the people you left behind who are now weaponized and very angry. I am not one of those people; I just speak on their behalf."
"How are you in charge?" he asked me.
"Don't let my appearance fool you, Sir," I told him. "I've been alive since before Doomsday. I was a prisoner, then a Nurse and then a Soldier. After you left, I stayed on the radio to give you the information you needed in order to help you establish your cities there."
"...my grandfather told stories of you," he said softly. "There's a statue of you in our national park. Well, it's dedicated to you. We didn't know what you looked like, so it's abstract. You're a hero here."
"Then listen to me now," I begged. "Give me a year to unite my people so they aren't so...blinded by rage when you do return. Right now, your people are safe. But I can't guarantee others will be given the same chance if you send more. I can create a safe route and landing point and hopefully clear out some of the animals that pose a real threat. Which is all of them."
"We were planning a launch in a week, but if it's that bad, I can talk to the President here. Can we schedule a meeting for tomorrow?" he asked.
"I think that's important, yes," I agreed.
"If I can get him, it will be after two in the afternoon where we are. I think there's a ten hour time difference."
"Correct."
"Until then, Harlow," he smiled, saluting me.
I did the same, turning off the radio after that.
I had a voice across the world?
Blythe woke feeling better and without a fever by the next morning and was able to walk around a little just four days after surgery.
"I'm sorry about last night," she told me, following me onto the roof. "I didn't mean to hurt you."
"I know. I'm not mad."
"What are we doing here?" she asked, taking a seat on a chair I brought up for her.
"I talked to someone in command yesterday," I revealed. "He's going to try to get me in contact with the President there."
"And tell them what?" she wondered.
"Not to send anyone else for a year."
She nodded. "Smart."
"Is...is there really a statue dedicated to me in the National Park?" I asked her.
"There's a large abstract one made of gold and silver. To the sacrifice of those who...gave the ultimate sacrifice for all of humankind. But it was designed to be what the artist thought your spirit looked like. Yours, personally, I mean."
"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked her.
"I wasn't sure if it was something you'd find offensive or too little too late or be honored, even though you'd never be able to see it. Plus, I don't know how I'd even prove it, even if you did believe me," she explained as the monitor beeped.
It was the President of the Nova Dawn, sixty year old Malcolm Noble, who had only been elected just three months before.
"So you are Harlow," he smiled. "What an honor it is to finally see you. My great-grandfather told everyone it was only a matter of time before you reached us again."
"Thank you, Sir," I told him.
"My Commander of the Military here tells me you've informed him to hold off on sailing here for another year," he began.
I nodded. "Until I can make it safer. Please. I'm calling a temporary ban on all ships and closed borders. In that time, I can set up safe checkpoints, a safer route and better defenses for the wildlife we have here."
"What happened to the people on the first ship?"
"Twelve of them are under my personal protection. Thirty-two are in the Capitol. Safe. The rest were killed upon arrival before I could intervene. I apologize, Sir."
"Is...is my son okay?" he asked me.
"Your son?"
"Harbin Noble," he revealed.
"He's one of my favorite people and is safe. I promise," I told him. "He's in a settlement I created called Empire."
"Truly?" he asked, doing his best not to break apart.
I nodded.
"Thank you," he said softly.
"One year, yes?" I asked him. "It might be sooner depending on how well I can do what needs to be done," I added.
"You'll continue to keep them all safe, yes?" he asked.
I nodded once more.
"Can we check in once a month?" he offered.
"I will do my best to oblige, but I can't guarantee anything."
"Sounds good," he nodded. "Talk to you soon," he added, saluting me before the monitor went black.
I turned off the power and put it into a reserve mode, hoping to protect it from other animals and the elements.
When I looked back at Blythe, she was asleep in the chair, still recovering from the flu.
I picked her up gently and carried her back to our room, her ear resting on my chest.
"I'm proud of you," she mumbled, staring up at me with blurry vision.
"Thank you," I said softly, setting her back on the bed gently. "Get some rest, okay?"
While she slept, I took a seat on the front porch and stared up at the sky, wondering if the former greats did the same thing when they were the leaders.
Two days later, we pulled back into Empire just after four in the afternoon, greeted by everyone.
Blythe was almost at full health, but limped a little.
"What happened?" Emeric asked me as she took a seat on the couch in the main building's living room.
"Her appendix nearly burst and I had to perform surgery in the field," I said quietly. "It's a miracle there's no infection."
"Why are you back so soon?" Merrick wondered.
"I need to take a trip to the Northwest coast. And I need to do that alone. It's way too dangerous up there for anyone," I explained. "Harbin? May I talk to you?" I added, leading a confused Guard outside.
"Am I in trouble?" he asked, following me toward the lake.
"I spoke with the President of the Nova Dawn," I began. "He agreed to stop ships for a year so it gives me time get this place in order."
"That's good, right?"
I nodded.
"What does this have to do with me?"
"Because your Father is the President. And he asked if you were safe."
His eyes widened.
"I wasn't sure if you'd want people to know or if it's something I can just tell everyone," I teased.
"I had no idea," he told me. "You don't hate me, do you?"
"Do you hate me because of my parents?" I asked.
"Of course not."
"You're fine. I need to go. There's so much to do and I only have a year to get it done."
He stopped me. "When is the last time you slept?"
I felt my head. "I'm fine. I just...hungry."
"That wasn't even a sentence," he said worriedly, helping me take a seat on the shore. "I'm going to get Emeric," he added, racing away before I could object.
When they got back, Barrett was curled around my unconscious body, struggling to wake me up.
"Here," Blythe said quickly, handing over a bottle of radiated water. "Drink, Harlow. Come on."
I sat up suddenly, confused as to where I was.
"Easy," she said gently. "You've been killing yourself for me. I'm alright now. Let's get you some rest, okay?"
I settled back into Barrett, resting my head on his large shoulder to let the summer breeze lull me to sleep in the open.
"Better," she chuckled, wincing a little as she got to her feet.
"Can I check her work?" Emeric asked her.
He took her to a different building where he and Liberty were using as a Doctor's office, where he got a firsthand look at what I could do.
"These are gorgeous," he told her. "Not even red and no sign of infection."
"She spoke to the President of the Nova Dawn," she revealed.
"How?"
"She found a radio and tuned into the frequency. And a monitor. Rebuilt it herself. He's going to give her a year to get this place in order so we can get arrivals safely here."
"Where are you going after that?" he wondered.
"She," she corrected. "Alone. She's going to the Northwest. It's not safe for me, apparently."
"So you'll be here for a little while, then?"
"I have no idea what I'll do, but yeah," she sighed.
"Worried about her?"
She nodded as Harbin walked in.
"I know," he said lowly.
"What did I miss?" Emeric asked him.
"My Father was elected to the Presidency."
"Holy shit," Emeric chuckled. "Good for him."
"That's it?"
"Did you want a parade or something?" the Doctor asked.
"I just don't want to be treated any differently," he told him.
"Never occurred to me."
"Same," Blythe added. "How are you and Karasi?" she asked him, keeping it casual.
"We're fine. And you and Harlow?"
She melted. "She's the best."
I'd wake just after four in the morning, my head pounding as I sat up.
Two bottles of radiated water were next to me, which didn't seem to bother the large bear who got up to stretch himself.
I drank the waters and felt it energize me as the early morning sunshine began to illuminate the once darkened sky.
"I explained about the Northwest," Blythe told me after I entered the main building. "And why we must never go there."
"You will stay here?" I asked her.
She stared in my eyes. "I will stay here."
"Thank you," I said softly, kissing her passionately before pulling away. "I love you."
"I love you too," she smiled. "Come back safe."
I nodded once and walked out, this time taking one of the six motorcycles they had found in perfect condition.
It just needed a jump.
The fully electric motorcycle is a lot quieter than a traditional one, giving me a slight edge when it came to discretion.
It took nearly three days to reach the Saint Joe National Forest, which was the only way into Emmon. I parked the bike near the border and made my way through the heavily radiated forest on foot, taking the route I usually did when I came to check on things.
Snakes were too far east, but that didn't mean other dangers didn't exist.
Earthquakes changed the landscape, creating a peninsula in what was once Palouse in Washington. Fields of pristine farming land were now gone and the city existed in a deep gully only accessible via one road. An aftershock wiped out the last road, trapping the mentally unstable with only their ability to adapt to change to get them through the apocalypse.
For the last four centuries, the twelve by fifteen mile, three-hundred foot deep crater was their home. Over three million people were delivered here like cattle whose only crime was that life got the better of them at some point.
Because they were so low, I could get a good vantage point where I was hopefully unseen, unnoticed.
Pointing.
Shit.
There were still thousands. Tens of thousands.
"My name is Harlow!" I tried, hoping for any reaction other than hostile.
They seemed to settle.
"I am the President of these United States," I went on, letting the people fall silent. "I spoke to the President of the Nova Dawn and I have asked when he does send his people in a year, to bring whatever supplies you need. And to build a road so you may join the rest of us. You never should've been here and I am so sorry you are."
"Come say that to our face!" one shouted.
I shrugged and jumped the three-hundred feet, but floated down like a feather to show it was controlled.
They jumped back, scrambling to get away from me.
"If I wanted to hurt you, I would've done it up there," I pointed out. "I am Harlow. When your ancestors, your families and friends were put here, I was in prison. I'm old. Over four-hundred years. Now that I am in charge, now that I have communication with the Nova Dawn, I can work with them to build this nation up once more. How we want. Not them. Us. That includes all of you."
"You think us savages, don't you?"
"I didn't know what to expect," I admitted. "There are others further Northwest that are completely feral. Subsiding on snake meat and radiated water. I cannot reach those people. But I don't go hunting for them, either."
"Palouse is thriving, Harlow. We have farms and heavy rains guarantee radiation is a minimum. Our lifespan is now over sixty and health is fair, not poor. We have a dozen rock climbers who are able to forage. Those who want to take their chances outside are more than welcome. Few do so."
"How is crime?" I asked them. "The violence?"
"Those who show signs of unrest or aggression are given some time off from work. If that doesn't work, he's exiled until he sorts himself out. We don't kill anyone here."
"Who is in charge?" I wondered.
"Aren't you?"
I chuckled. "Of your town. Do you have anyone like that?"
"We have three people who are considered the wisest who advise us on law, medicine and education."
"May I meet them?"
I followed the crowd to the largest building that housed most of the people, which was a former prison they turned into their homes.
Inside the office were the three men who were held in the highest regard, surprised to see a visitor.
"...who are you?" the man in the middle asked me.
"My name is Harlow. I am in charge of the whole nation."
"Only the person who holds the sacred object is recognized as the true leader," the man on the left told me.
I held up the compass. "This object?"
Their eyes widened.
"Do I have your attention now?" I wondered.
"Why are you here?"
"I need information about who you are. Your laws. Way of life. If I'm going to rebuild, I need everyone's input."
"Our own version of the Constitution are up there," the man in the middle pointed.
I read the rules, finding them straightforward and reasonable.
Honorable.
"Who enforces these rules?" I asked, looking back at them.
"We do. Thieves are sent to work off their debt and receive counseling as best as we can. If someone commits a crime, they are sent to work for a certain amount of time. During that time, their regular job remains safe. After the debt is paid, they go back to work and keep seeing the counselor until the issue is resolved."
"How often does that happen?"
"There are six people in counseling and just sixteen have been exiled in our entire history."
"...what are the requirements to living here?" I wondered.
"What are your skills?" the man on the right asked.
"I have too many to name. But my IQ is said to be in the twelve-hundreds if that helps."
"Are you alone?"
"I have a wife," I told them. "Her name is Blythe. I'm also a part of this whole nation and recognized everywhere but here."
"What would change if we let you in charge of us?"
"Nothing. All that would happen is a road in and out. More than one. And I can get you whatever you might need. I can check in once a year. Or every six months."
Alarms sounded overhead, making the three men run to a nearby door that led to a basement.
I followed after them, curious as to what they were so afraid of.
Eagles.
"Their beaks cannot pierce through the concrete floors."
"Though they try."
"How long do these last?"
"Until they catch someone."
"Where is your PA system?" I asked them.
The man who sat in the middle handed me a map he kept in the basement for reading material.
"It's here. What are you going to do?"
"Permanently get rid of those eagles," I said simply.
"You get that done, we swear our loyalty to you," the man from the left promised.
The other two nodded.
"Deal," I chuckled, taking the map with me back up the stairs to where the eagles were threatening war.
The people saw me walk through the building, fearless as I made my way to the PA system where the alarm was still sounding throughout the entire building.
I dodged beaks and claws, punching one in the eye so hard it came out in my hands when it pulled away. I shook it off before opening the door to the control room, intent on ending this nonsense now.
After turning off the alarm, I found the mic and let out a screech only they could hear, looped it and played it through the speakers, instantly stopping the attacks and forcing the large birds out of the city.
When it was quiet for more than ten minutes, people began to come out of their homes and gather around the control room where I finished setting up the audio.
"What did you do?"
I looked at the three wise men.
"There's a frequency only they can hear now playing through your speakers. Do not stop that audio. It's telling them this area is off limits. I know you can't hear it, but they sure as hell can. Does your promise still hold?" I asked them.
They nodded, taking turns shaking my hand.
"I will check back in a few months," I told them.
"You will bring your wife?"
"I would like that, thank you," I smiled. "And as an added bonus, I have taken every bit of radiation from your city. And your people, animals and food. For me, it's like eating an apple. For you, it's an extra six years to your lifespan."
"In...in an hour you got rid of the only two threats that threaten our people. We serve you now."
From there, I made my way deeper into the Northwest, my nerves growing with each mile I trekked into the deep green forest that subtly surrounded me.
I'd have to walk nearly three-hundred miles to the actual building of Emmon, but only another ten before people started to appear.
Thanks to Palouse, I was stronger than I had been in years, giving me an advantage as I ventured out this far.
I needed to know if they were all feral or if there was some kind of organization or laws to their lives.
Just six miles from Emmon's known human locations, was a group of at least twenty who spoke in their own language to each other as they gathered whatever the Forest had to offer.
They were dressed, had a good color and didn't look malnourished or sickly.
When I was spotted in the branches of a mature redwood, all they could do was stare.
"I'm Harlow," I called, curious to see if there was a reaction.
They ran.
Scattered like roaches when you turn on the light.
"That was odd," I nodded, opting to take the trees through the forest instead of the roads.
I followed them deeper into the forest, the curiosity getting the better of me.
The last I checked, they didn't have the mental capacity to trick or hunt me.
Of course, I hadn't been this way in a long time.
Not this deep, anyway.
Maniacal laughter pierced through the trees, stopping me in my tracks. When it accompanied automatic gunfire and bullets equipped with tracers to illuminate the night sky, I knew this wasn't a place for me to be any longer.
What my wife and the rest of Empire would be unaware of, was the weaponry these people had claimed throughout the years.
Including nuclear missiles.
I was bombarded with six, sending me flying into the air, just deeper into their territory.
The radiation gave me superhuman strength as I got to my feet, glowing in the evening.
They aren't feral.
They're pissed.
Bullets ripped through me, but I remained unscathed as I made my way directly to Emmon itself.
For nearly one-hundred and eighty miles, I endured everything they threw at me. Bullets, bombs and even gas did more harm to them than they did to me.
By the time I reached Emmon, the sun was starting to rise on another day, giving me an aura of fire, passion and resistance to their efforts to bring me down.
"What are you?" their leader asked in broken, terrified English.
"Pissed, mostly," I answered. "I am the only immortal being on this planet."
"Why are you here?"
"I needed to learn more about you."
"Why?" he asked, the grip on his rifle loosening.
"Educational purposes," I told him. "I haven't been here in a long time. Since before it was a dumping ground for your ancestors. I saw firsthand what it looked like and how beautiful it was."
He put down his weapon. "You were here before?"
I nodded. "There was a museum here. A long time ago. Beautiful works of art. Sculptures. The landscape was something to behold. When I heard they had been sent here, I was hopeful. It's beautiful. Relaxing. I thought they'd be late to the Nova Dawn, but at least they'd get there. I was wrong."
"Our ancestors quickly made our own rules. Governed ourselves. When it was clear no one cared what we did or what happened here, we never looked back. Tell us why we should look to you."
"Because right now you speak to a leader who just took every bit of hell you could reserve for an entire invading Army just so she could listen to what you have to say. To take it to heart and work with you to make a real change. Now is your chance to have a voice."
"...it can't come from us," he told me.
"What are you talking about?"
"The people in this building aren't in charge, Harlow. We're the last holdouts of a very feral, very mad, very inbred people. We are trapped here. When our defenses run out, that's it for this entire area. You have to leave while you still can. There's no way we could ever leave here alive."
"How many of you are there?"
"Less than sixty. You should go. All they're doing is reloading. If you are who you say you are, know it's hopeless. These people can't be saved. But...good luck. Don't come back here."
I never got his name.
There was no magic frequency or even words I could say that would make them understand anything I could say to them.
Rumbling under foot meant snakes were hungry as I fled Emmon as fast and as high as I could.
They still shot at me, sending missiles at me for nearly two-hundred miles before it finally stopped as the sun began to rise again.
Battered, bloody and exhausted, I crash landed into Palouse, in the heart of the city, where I found I couldn't move and fell to my knees.
Two of their people helped me to where the three men had provided a bed so I could rest.
"What do you think she did?"
The other two had no answers to give.
For nearly a week, I rested and healed from my wounds, waking eight days after I crashed, more or less back to full health.
"Thank you for letting me stay," I told the men.
"What happened?"
"I went to Emmon," I answered.
"And survived?"
I nodded.
"What did you discuss?"
I chuckled. "There is nothing to discuss. The people are feral, armored, armed and irrational. And spreading. There is no hope for them. I saw them riding the snakes as if they were their masters."
"Are we safe from them?"
"...for now," I nodded. "I will find a way to help you defend yourselves against them if need be."
"We have weapons. How many are there?"
"I have no idea. Maybe two-hundred thousand spread all along the coast?" I guessed.
"We have just eighteen thousand."
I stopped them. "I know. I will find a way. Right now, they're about three-hundred miles from you and only perked up when they saw me. They don't go looking for others."
"So they did not recognize you as their leader?"
"They don't recognize anyone. Any outsider is hostile. I have no idea how they communicate with each other. How they know."
After another two days, I made my way back to my bike and headed back to my wife, whom I hadn't seen in almost three weeks.
I missed her.
The sound of the gates opening just after two in the afternoon three weeks to the day I left, Blythe saw me drive in, alive and well.
"Harlow!" she cried, crashing into me, her arms around my neck.
I missed her.
"What happened?" she asked after pulling away.
"I went to Palouse, which is a settlement of eighteen thousand. I thought they were feral, too. Or at the very least they hated me," I began, taking a seat in the main building with everyone else.
"Were they nice?" she asked.
I nodded. "I solved their eagle problem and got rid of their radiation so they are loyal to me."
"Did you go Emmon?" Merrick asked.
"Oh, yeah," I sighed. "If you trust me, you will never go there. The whole reason I went there in the first place was because when I went to Malin, I noticed others had raided the facility before I did. The only ones who possibly could were the people of the Coast. The...other ROTC. Residents of the Coast, I mean. And they have just as many weapons. I was hit with over thirty nuclear missiles. Bullets with tracers. Flares illuminated the sky so there was no cover. For two-hundred miles. Nonstop. There and back."
Tears stung Blythe's eyes as she hugged me tightly, understanding why I didn't take her with me.
"I didn't kill any of them. I didn't fire back. The people inside the building, inside Emmon, are holdouts. The last bit of sanity that has endured for the last four centuries. Of the three million that were sent there, less than sixty remain. Probably far less now," I said sadly.
"Wow," Emeric said softly. "Those poor people."
"What's Palouse like?" Harbin asked me.
"They're in a valley, a large crater, which trapped the people there. There's no road into or out of the city, so they have rock climbers that go in and out to forage when needed. Their rules are straightforward and reasonable. Enforced by three men who help guide their people. That's all I know so far. But we are welcome there," I told him.
"What are you going to do about the ROTC?" Merrick asked me.
"I need a deterrent," I admitted. "But I can't figure that out until I know a lot more about them. I can't assume all of them are mad and do a mass cleansing. There might be pockets of intelligence or order."
"Cleansing how?" Liberty asked, uneasy.
"I am capable of mass destruction of a radius of at least a thousand miles," I revealed. "It takes a lot of energy, but it can be done."
"Will it kill you?" Blythe asked.
"I can't die."
"How did you even figure it out?" she asked me. "You do experiments or something?"
"Shut up," Emeric warned her.
"No!" she protested. "We're following a woman who tells us tales of impossibility and we're just supposed to believe it?"
"Hey you got a ride from where you were to here," Merrick told her. "You didn't see what we did or watch her save us from things I thought could never exist here."
"How do you do it?" Liberty asked me. "Explode, I mean."
"It's a chemical reaction," I told her, holding up a bottle of pills. "One of these makes me go boom. I've only done it once. Took out most of the Organization with me when it was first developing. It's why they let me go. Out of their prison and into the world."
"Prison?" she asked.
"Treason," I told her.
She stepped back. "What?"
"I told the Nova Dawn not to send anymore ships back for the others. The waters, the chaos and people were making it impossible."
"How did you find out about the pills?" Emeric asked me. "About what they could do, I mean."
"Once a day they force fed me a variety of pills hoping to kill me. On one day where I was only given one, for it was the only one they hadn't tried, it happened to be the magical one. When I woke, I was free. So I found the other pills and took them with me."
"Why?" Liberty asked me. "Why not destroy them?"
"When you have the power to blow shit up and not die, people, who might not otherwise give you the time of day, will suddenly grow ears and some empathy to listen to what you have to say."
"You have my attention, that's for sure," Merrick chuckled.